Lynne just arrived at the Denver Airport for her sales meeting with an
important client. With her Nokia cell phone, Gateway notebook computer (which
has been on the fritz since she bought it online), and Palm Pilot in hand, she
hurries off to baggage claim to gather her luggage. She hails a cab, gets in,
pulls out her Palm Pilot, and confirms her reservation at the Hilton, choosing a
check-in time for late afternoon.

She pulls her cell phone from her purse, hits the speed dial for her client,
and he quickly answers. The client's Asian accent isn't easy for Lynne
to understand, but she has a history with him and can communicate adequately.
She tells him that she'll be there inside of an hour; she just needs to
make a quick stop in downtown Denver.

She hangs up, picks up her Palm Pilot, surfs to the Gateway Web site, and
looks up the phone number of the local Gateway computer store. She calls the
number and tells the clerk at the other end about her notebook problem. He says
to bring it in and they'll replace it for free.

The cab pulls up to the Gateway store; Lynne asks him to wait, jumps out, and
enters the store. She's greeted by a clerk, who has the replacement
notebook ready for her. She thanks him and heads back to the cab. Still on
schedule, she heads to her client's office. She enters his 18-story
building in downtown Denver and heads for the elevator. As she passes the snack
bar just off the lobby, her phone rings. She answers it and hears "Welcome
to Sunrise Plaza! Why not stop into our deli for a quick snack? Today's
special is..." She disconnects, shoves the cell phone back into her purse,
and enters the elevator.

When she reaches her client's floor, she walks across the hall and
enters the client's office. The sign on the door reads TransAsian
Technologies. The receptionist welcomes her, and Lynne's client
appears, leading her into the conference room. In the conference room, she sees
a PC connected to the Net with her company's home page on the monitor. A
half-dozen Chinese colleagues and customers of her client sit waiting patiently.
After a short introduction, Lynne realizes that the other people in the room
don't speak English. She grabs the PC mouse, points it at her
company's home page, and clicks the Chinese language version of the
site.

She's ready to conduct business.

Science fiction, or at least years into the future? Not at all. This
scenario—in which your customer can access your business and your business
can access a customer anywhere—will exist within a few short years. And
your e-business has to be prepared to take advantage of it.